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Tesla Eyeing Nurburgring Lap Record With Nearly Stock Model S Plaid

Tesla has a lot going for it. Not only does the Palo Alto-based company sell more BEVs than legacy automakers, but its Model S Plaid is the second most exciting battery-electric vehicle after the Rimac Nevera.
2021 Tesla Model S Plaid Nurburgring test car 41 photos
Photo: Stefan Baldauf / SB-Medien
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Two years ago, a pre-production Model S Plaid has lapped the Nurburgring racetrack in 7:13 with Thomas Mutsch in the driver’s seat, an unofficial record that makes the Porsche Taycan Turbo S look slow. The full-size luxobarge from Fremont isn’t going to stop there because Elon Musk intends to shame the German interloper with a sub-7:00 lap just for the bragging rights.

Speaking to Joe Rogan, the Technoking of Tesla argues that “we could bust seven minutes on the Nurburgring with further improvements.” In and of itself, that’s a tall order for a production vehicle with seating for five adults. But looking at the bigger picture, it’s not impossible because the Model S Plaid combines one non-torque-vectoring motor with two torque-vectoring motors for a grand total of 1,020 horsepower and a high amount of torque.

In addition to world-class acceleration and top speed, the Performance-replacing Plaid also sweetens the deal with super-sticky rubber from Michelin and 21-inch optional wheels instead of the standard 19s. There’s even talk of a track package that contains Zero-G wheels with 285- and 305-wide tires, a similar setup to the prototype that Tesla tested at Laguna Seca.

Regardless of the small details, Elon Musk appears to be keeping his word about the sub-7:00 lap by flying in a red-painted car to the Nurburgring. The pictured vehicle has been spotted by the carparazzi with the 21-inch Arachnid wheels, a set of double-spoke alloys devoid of branding or center caps, high-performance brake calipers, and a roll cage for good measure.

Clearly not a stock configuration, this car has the right stuff to beat the fastest sedan on the Nurburgring, namely the Jaguar XE SV Project 8.
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About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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